Theophylact of Ohrid

12th century · AD 1107 · Eastern & Byzantine · 6,638 passages

In his own words on Ephesians

Ephesians 1:1
Look, the preposition δια he referred to the Father, – and note, – this is against the Arians. Look how great was the virtue in that time: he calls holy and faithful men who were laypeople, having wives and children. But now even those in the mountains and caves are not such.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:2
Having said "grace," he adds "from God our Father," in order to show what grace has done for us, namely: it has made the Master and God our Father. But the Lord also, that is the Son, by grace toward us became both Jesus and Christ, since for our sake He became incarnate, was named Jesus, and sanctified humanity by His divinity.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:3
God is both God and Father of one and the same Christ: God as the incarnate one, and Father as God the Word. In contrast to the Jewish blessing, he called this one "spiritual." For that one was more corporeal. God "will bless," it says, "the fruit of your womb" (Deut. 7:13); and "will bless your coming in and your going out." But here every blessing is spiritual, and we lack nothing. For we have become immortal and sons of God, and co-heirs of Christ, and our firstfruits receive worship from the heavenly powers. Therefore he rightly said "with every blessing," because all that is divine and spiritual has been granted to us. "In Christ." That is, the blessing was given to us through Jesus Christ, and not through Moses, as to the Jews. Therefore we differ from them not only in the quality of the blessings, but also in the mediator. As if explaining why our blessing is spiritual, he says: "in the heavens." For the blessing of the Jews was on earth, and therefore also bodily: "you shall eat the good things of the land; a land flowing with milk and honey; the Lord shall bless your land" (Ps. 127, Ex. 33, Num. 13:14, Deut. 11 and 31). But here there is nothing earthly, but everything is heavenly. That is why our blessing is also spiritual. For the Kingdom of Heaven is promised to the poor, and to the persecuted — a great reward in the heavens (Matt. 5:3).
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:4
He blessed us, he says, through Christ, just as He also chose us through Him, that is, through faith in Him. "He chose us before the foundation of the world." For what was done for us was predetermined from eternity; nothing new is being accomplished, but what was established from the beginning is being brought to fulfillment. He also well said καταβολήν — foundation, creation (which properly means a casting down (a descent — Ed.) from a height), in order to show that the world was, as it were, cast down (brought down — Ed.) from a certain height of Divine power and established. And the word "chose" points both to the Divine love for mankind and to their virtue, for He chooses all who will be worthy. So that you, having heard that "He chose," would not become careless, as one already chosen, he says: God chose us for this reason, that we might be holy and blameless, remaining faithful to that holiness which He granted us at baptism, and leading a virtuous life. Holy is the one who holds to the faith, and blameless is the one who is irreproachable in his life; and He requires holiness and blamelessness not simply, but "before Him." There are many who are holy before men, such as the Pharisees, but not before God. This David also says: "according to the cleanness of my hands." According to what? — "before His eyes" (Ps. 18:25). And Isaiah likewise: "cleanse yourselves, remove your evil deeds from before My eyes" (Isa. 1:16).
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:5
Having said "He chose," he made it clear that He chose us as worthy, on account of our virtue. But since salvation does not depend on our virtue alone, he added: "in love having predestined us to adoption" — that is, having loved us on account of His love for mankind, He predestined us. Moreover, to believe and to come depends on us, though also by the calling of God; but to deem those who have come worthy of "adoption" — this is a matter of His love alone and His love for mankind. Therefore he added: "having predestined us to adoption." What kind of adoption is this? That which leads our race to Him and makes us His own. And this also is "through Jesus Christ." For although the Father predestined, it was Christ who brought us. Since all good things come through the Son, and not through some servant, the honor is all the more glorious.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:6
Because, he says, He predestined us to adoption, He desired, strongly desired, strove (for this is what "good pleasure" means) to show the glory of His grace and His beneficence. But does God seek glory? Not at all: Divinity has need of nothing, yet desires glorification from us, so that we might love Him as much as possible. For he who marvels at the benefactions shown to him will strive not to offend his benefactor, and the more he remembers these good things, the more he will love the one who gave them. Thus, good pleasure (εὐδοκία) is the primary desire of God (the foundation of His other desires). For example: the first will of God is that no one should perish; the second will is that those who have become wicked should perish; because He truly does not punish out of necessity, but by His own volition. Thus, good pleasure is the primary will of God. He did not say "graced" (echarisato), but "made gracious" (echaritōse), that is, He made us pleasant and beloved. Just as if someone, having encountered an old man covered with sores and worn out by hunger and ugly, were suddenly to make him into another person, comely and youthful, adorning him with every kind of gift, so too God, finding us morally disfigured and vile, made us pleasant and beautiful. "And the King shall desire," it says, "your beauty" (Ps. 44:12). "And He made us gracious in the Beloved Son," that is, through the Beloved.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:7
Through the Beloved, he says, we have redemption. What kind? "The forgiveness of sins." How does it occur? "Through His blood." For what is especially astonishing is that, by delivering His beloved Son to death, He freed us, the hateful ones, giving as ransom and redemption the Blood of the Beloved. And note — this is more than adoption: He did not even spare His Son for our sake. For after speaking of adoption, he speaks of this, ascending from the lesser to the greater.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:8
He did this, he says, according to the riches of His grace. Notice these intensified expressions: we have been given riches, and the riches of God, the riches of grace, and not simply grace, but "which He abundantly bestowed upon us," that is, poured out in superabundance.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:9
That is, He poured out grace upon us so that, having made us wise and understanding, He might "reveal to us the mystery of His will"; he was saying, as it were: He revealed to us the mysteries of His heart. Or in this way: "to show us the mystery in all understanding and wisdom," that is, the depth of all wisdom and understanding. For to deem enemies, and despised ones at that, worthy of such great blessings, and this at the end of times and through the cross — is this not a work of great wisdom? He did this as He willed, as He "previously laid down" and predetermined "in Him," that is, in Christ.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:10
And this good pleasure and consent He "laid down beforehand" and predetermined in the "dispensation" and in the establishment of the "fullness of times." For the fullness of times, that is, the last times, demanded punishment and vengeance, since human wickedness had then multiplied. But the appearing of the Son, on the contrary, in these last times wrought salvation, which is characteristic of incomprehensible wisdom. The heavenly, he says, was separated from the earthly; they did not have one head. For although from the standpoint of creation God is one for all, yet as regards moral union, this did not yet exist. Therefore the Father "purposed beforehand" to unite under one head the heavenly and the earthly, that is, to set one head over all—Christ: over the angels according to their incorporeal nature, and over mankind according to the flesh. Therefore in Christ the Father united, that is, He brought to completion that which had been built up over a long time, finishing and completing the word with righteousness.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:11
Having said above "He chose," he now says again: "we have obtained an inheritance" in Christ, that is, through Christ. But since an inheritance is a matter of chance, and not of virtue and choice, he corrects this very thing by saying: "being predestined according to the purpose" of God. For He would not have predestined if He had deemed them unworthy. But God, who accomplishes all things, before our coming into the world already saw us and chose us and set us apart for Himself; so that, having Himself accomplished our election and separation, He was not mistaken. Election unto inheritance is a matter of goodness, since it is given without labor, by Divine grace, although it extends to the worthy as well. "According to the counsel of His will" — he says, in order to show that not because the Jews did not believe were the Gentiles called by chance, but from eternity this was predestined, and this counsel of God and His will existed from the beginning. For although Christ said: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles" (Matt. 10:5), and: "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 15:24), this was said for the admonition of the Jews and to attract them, as children prone to seduction, since in truth the calling of the Gentiles was predestined from eternity.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:12
So that, he says, we might be to the praise of His glory – we who first hoped in Christ, that is, who believed in Christ and, before the coming of the future age, hope in the future blessings prepared for us. For the glory and praise of God's goodness consists in saving those who were so alienated.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:13
That is, in Christ. So also to the Hebrews he says: "has spoken to us in the Son" (Heb. 1:2). He calls the preaching "the word of truth" in contrast to the law, which was a foreshadowing and shadow, and "the gospel of salvation" in contrast to the law that kills and the future punishment. For the preaching of the first coming calls to salvation, while the trumpet of the second calls to punishment. "In Him" — in the Gospel, he says, "having believed," or "in Him" in Christ; that is, having believed by the grace of Christ, you were "sealed," so that it is clear that you are the lot and portion of God. But the Jews were sealed by circumcision, like irrational beings, having received a bodily seal, whereas we as sons of God were sealed by the Spirit, which is higher than a fleshly sealing. He calls Him the Spirit "of promise" either because He was given according to promise, for through Joel also God promised: "I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh" (Joel 2:28), and Christ says: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you" (Acts 1:8) — or because the Spirit confirms the promise of the good things to come. For by the very fact that He has been sent down to us, assurance of the future is given, and therefore He is also called the pledge. Listen to what follows next.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:14
God "bought" our salvation and gave us the Spirit as a pledge for now, assuring us thereby that He will also grant the inheritance of ineffable blessings. And those who truly partake of the Spirit, as Paul did, for example, already understand from this that He is the pledge of the perfect inheritance. For this reason Paul also groaned and sought to attain perfection "and to be with Christ" (Phil. 1:23). But we do not have such a pledge as we ought, and we do not strive for perfection, since we have not yet tasted it. By the word "possession" — περιποίησις — he designates God's care and solicitude for us. Therefore he says that this pledge leads to perfect deliverance and to our complete salvation, for this purpose it was given. For perfect freedom will come when sin is utterly destroyed, when the saints are freed from cohabitation with sinners and are saved and acquired by God, to be His people. And some understand "possession" — περιποίησις — as referring to us ourselves. So, "unto the redemption of the possession," that is, of us, who constitute the property and acquisition of God. He constantly adds this, assuring that what has been promised will certainly be fulfilled. For if He were doing it for our sake, one could still have doubts, but now, when He intends to accomplish this for the manifestation of His goodness, who can object that He will not do it? So also the Scripture says: "But deal with me, O Lord, for Your name's sake" (Ps. 108:21), and: "Not unto us, but unto Your name give glory."
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:15
"Having heard," he says, "of your faith in Christ Jesus." And not only of faith, but also of love, that is, a merciful and brotherly disposition, and even a philanthropic one, as extending to all and not only to the local saints, that is, to the poor among the believers. And everywhere he joins love with faith, since it gives birth to a virtuous life. For without it faith is useless — faith without works and life; just as life is also useless without faith.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:16
"For this reason." Why then? Because you, having believed, received the seal of the Spirit and obtained the pledge of future blessings and perfect redemption, and are to receive what has been prepared for those who rightly believe and live piously — "I unceasingly give thanks for you." Do you see what a compassionate heart? He offers thanksgiving for all, as if he himself had received the benefit. For he writes this not only to the Ephesians, but to all. So then, although it is worthy to thank God for all else that we have been deemed worthy of, it is also worthy to give thanks for the faith of the believers, because they were so enlightened that they fled to the cross of the Savior, turning away from the destroyer. For such is the nature of brotherly love. Note how many he has in his mind, how many he remembered in his prayers. But we do not even remember ourselves as we ought.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:17
What do you pray and ask for on our behalf? That God may give you wisdom — "the God" of "our Lord Jesus," that is, of the Man like us according to the flesh. "The Father of glory," that is, the One who has granted us great and glorious blessings. For he always names Him on a particular basis, as in the expression: "the Father of mercies and God of all comfort" (2 Cor. 1:3); and the prophet: "O Lord, my strength, my shield" (Ps. 18:2–3). Therefore here also, since He has granted us great and glorious blessings, he calls Him the Father of glory, that is, the source. For one cannot call Him by any other than the most glorious name we have. Gregory the Theologian, however, understood "glory" as the Divinity of the Only-Begotten; so that in relation to the same Christ, He is both God and Father: in relation to Christ, that is, to His humanity, God; and in relation to glory, that is, to His Divinity, Father.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:18
That is, that He may give you the gift of being enlightened by the Spirit. For if the Spirit does not reveal the hidden mysteries, it is impossible to comprehend them by any other means. For only "He," and not an angel nor an archangel, "searches all things, even the deep things of God" (1 Cor. 2:10). "The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God" (1 Cor. 2:14). Therefore, when the Spirit reveals the mysteries to us, then we shall be in the knowledge of God, and our eyes shall be enlightened, and we shall not doubt and say that this or that is impossible, but shall see all things as they are. That is, to what hope we are called. It is clear that it is to adoption and to the enjoyment of heavenly blessings and to having Christ as our head. But since this belongs to the future, spiritual revelation is needed to know it. And this, as something still unknown, has need of revelation from the Spirit — namely, what blessings the saints will inherit. For they are great. Therefore he also calls them "the riches of the glorious inheritance," that is, unspeakable glory, surpassing understanding. And he calls it an "inheritance" because it will yet be given to the sons.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:19
The foregoing concerned the future. But now he speaks of what has already taken place, so that from this the former might also become credible. What then is this? That, he says, we believed, for this too requires revelation, so that you might understand it more clearly. So then what? Did the Ephesians not realize that they had believed? Of course they realized it, but not in the way he now speaks of. For it is not easy to know this, because great power is needed to persuade a soul and turn it away from error — such power is needed as is not required for raising the dead. For the Lord raised the dead by a single word alone, yet He did not persuade the Jews even with many speeches and wondrous deeds. Therefore he says that for this too we have need of the revelation of the Spirit, in order to understand that our acceptance of faith is a matter of great power and the working of God. And just as He raised Christ from the dead, so also He raised us, who were dead, from unbelief. Therefore he also called this "the surpassing greatness of His power" and "the might of His strength." For when the prophets accomplished nothing, and all creation — both the visible, teaching by its good order, and the invisible, in the person of the angels who instructed and admonished — then unexpectedly we received salvation.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:20
And the words "He worked in Christ," understand them as spoken of the human nature. For the One who rose from the dead is Man, even though He was united with God.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:21
He did not say "high," but "far above," to indicate the greatest height. For from the uttermost depth He raised human nature in Christ to the very highest point. Of course, he speaks of it as having died and been raised, since the divine nature truly did not die, was not raised, and was not exalted, as it was always above every height. Thus, above every angelic power sat the formerly despised human nature. Whatever it may be, he says, in heaven, it is below This One who was assumed and ascended, and He is above all. From this we learn that there are certain powers which we cannot even name now, but which will then be revealed.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:22
Lest from the words "having seated above" you conclude that He received only the first honor, he indicates that He also made Him lord over all. And He did not simply subject, but gave in complete subjection: "under His feet." O wonder! He seated the Church on that very same throne as well; because where the head is (i.e. Christ), there is the body also (i.e. the Church itself). The words "above all" indicate that He gave a head that is mighty, which is above all, above angels, above archangels.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 1:23
Lest you, having heard this, should think that by the name "head" some rule and authority is meant (for the word "head" has this meaning as well), he says that Christ is the head of the Church as a body, and is likewise akin to it and closely united with it. And the Church is His fullness. For just as the body is the fullness of the head, completing it with its members, so also the Church is the fullness of Christ, "who fills all in all." For Christ is completed and, as it were, perfected by all the members in the person of all believers: He is completed, as it were, by a hand in the person of a merciful man who helps the weak in various ways; He is completed, as it were, by a foot in the person of a man who undertakes a journey for the sake of preaching and who cares for his brethren, and He is completed by another member in another believer. And thus He is completed by all the members in the person of all believers, that is, through the agency of all believers, when one renders one service and another renders another. For then our head, Christ, becomes perfect, that is, receives a perfect body, when we are all together united and closely bound.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:1
Above he said that God manifested in us the same power and working as in Christ. Of Him it is said that He raised Him from the dead and seated Him above all. And then now he speaks also of us: "and you," he says, "who were dead" (not by bodily death, which began with Adam, but by the death of the soul, which comes from ourselves, the death of sin) He raised and lifted up. So then, by the same power He both raised the Lord from bodily death and us from the spiritual death of sin, and the transformation of the soul's disposition is far more important than the raising of the dead, as was said above. The thought of this passage is indeed such, but it is stretched out too much until the words "made alive together with Christ," since much has been inserted and there is repetition in the words "God, who is rich in mercy." So then, having said that they were dead and having shown in what way they were dead, namely through transgressions and sins, he comforts them in a twofold manner: by the words "in which you once walked," and not now; and by the addition that you sinned because of enslavement to the devil, and not everything depended on you, but also on your helper, who so powerfully ruled over you.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:2
You sinned, thus, "according to the course of this world," that is, thinking about worldly and temporal things and making bad use of this age. For this age is not evil, but the misuse of it is. It was given as a guide, since, being corruptible and quickly passing, it can arouse us toward the incorruptible and unchanging; but we, having given ourselves over to its corruption and flux, made it not a guide but an opponent. By "prince" who "has dominion in the air," he means the devil, and not the Demiurge, as the impious Manichaeans think. He calls him "prince" because people have subjected themselves to him and serve him more than God. However, such power of his exists only in this age and does not extend beyond the air, because it has place not in heaven but under heaven. Therefore Paul also calls him the prince "who has dominion in the air," not in the sense that he rules over the air and controls it, but because he loves to dwell in it. For the devil, being a spirit, lives in the air as if in a spirit (πνεύματι), and to this day has authority and power in it, ruling over those who have subjected themselves to him. And some understand by "the prince who has dominion in the air" the prince of the aerial powers. Therefore, they say, he added "of the spirit," that is, the prince and ruler of every aerial spirit. For after he once became a prince, he apparently did not lose his authority even after his fall. He did not say "compelling," but "working." From this it is clear that he rules over those who have voluntarily submitted to him. For if he ruled against our will, he would compel. And from what follows it is also evident: he "works," it says, "in the sons of disobedience," that is, in those who do not obey God, but obey him voluntarily.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:3
Not only does he reassure them by this, saying that our sinfulness came from the devil, but also by placing both himself and all others in the same position as them, since no one was without sin. By the lusts of the flesh he means those that arise from carnal-mindedness. That he is not reproaching the flesh here is clear. For having said "fulfilling the desires of the flesh," he adds "and of the mind," that is, thinking of nothing spiritual. Therefore it is not the flesh that is worthy of condemnation, but the mindset that draws one toward passionate pleasures. Or else in this way: we defile the mind by thinking evil, and the flesh by carrying it out. And you may consider the works of the flesh to be adultery and the like, and the work of the mind to be envy, holding grudges, and the like. This is said instead of: we offend and anger God, and were nothing other in reality than wrath; just as a child of a human being is by nature a human, so also were we. And as sons of Gehenna and sons of perdition are called those who are worthy of such, so also "children of wrath" are called those who do things worthy of wrath. The word "by nature" is used instead of: truly and genuinely, "even as the rest," for no one was free from wrath.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:4
We were doing deeds worthy of implacable wrath, but God, he says, is not simply merciful, but also "rich in mercy." And love from great mercy. For otherwise how would we — children of wrath — have been deemed worthy of love?
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:5
Here is the end of the previously begun thought, while the rest is all a parenthetical insertion. Again Christ is the mediator, and the matter is worthy of trust: for if the firstfruits (the firstborn) lives, then we also live; since God gave life to both Him and us: to Him in actuality, and to us in power for now, and a little later — also in actuality. Behold the extraordinary greatness of His power, namely that He gave life to the dead, the sons of wrath. In this lies the hope of our calling. With deep spiritual shock he expressed this, marveling at the ineffable gift of God. For not by labor and not by your own works, he says, were you saved, but only by grace. For, as far as works are concerned, you were worthy of punishment and wrath.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:6
Since the firstfruits and the head, Christ, I say, has been raised, God also raised us through Him; in exactly the same way, if the head sits, the whole body sits together with it. Therefore he says: "in Christ Jesus," that is, because He is seated, we also are seated. Or else: "raised us up with Him" should be understood not as referring to resurrection, but to being made alive through baptism. But how then "seated us"? "If we endure," he says, "we shall also reign with Him" (2 Tim. 2:12). And Christ says: "you will sit on twelve thrones" (Matt. 19:28), and in another place: "but to sit at My right hand and at My left is not Mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared" (Mark 10:40). So then, this has already been prepared.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:7
Lest anyone doubt what has been said, he endeavors to make his speech more convincing, saying: if not for the sake of love toward us, then at least out of the desire to manifest His goodness, He will surely fulfill this. Now many do not believe this, but in the age to come all will know what God has granted us, seeing the saints in ineffable glory. As for the expression "in Christ Jesus," it means: this does not pertain to Christ alone, but through Him it passes also to us, as from the beginning to the whole: with Him we shall be made alive, with Him we shall also sit. So says the great John Chrysostom in his commentary on this passage, while in his commentary on the Gospel of Matthew he says that no one will sit then. Truly the gift of the Spirit and of revelation is needed to comprehend the depth of these mysteries. For if the wise teacher John had not said clearly that we "shall be" seated, then one might have said that in Christ we "already" sit, just as also that in Christ we are deemed worthy of worship from the angels. For it is not we personally who are deemed worthy of worship, but since our nature, united with God the Word, receives worship, this honor passes also to us. It is in this sense that he now says that we too shall sit.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:8
Having said that which concerns God, namely, that we are saved by grace, he adds also that which belongs to us — "through faith," so as not to violate free will. Again he as it were destroys this, saying that even faith is not from us; because if He had not come, if He had not called, we would not have followed either. "How shall they believe," he says, "in Him of whom they have not heard?" (Rom. 10:14). So that faith too is a gift of God. Or else alternatively: he does not call faith a gift of God, but rather salvation through faith — that is what is the gift of God. For let faith indeed be ours, but how could it alone save, if God had not been pleased to accept us on account of it, so that we would not be entirely without part in the matter of our salvation, but would appear as contributing something also from ourselves.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:9
This does not mean that God rejected us who have works, but rather that even those who would have perished with their works, He saved by grace, so that after this no one has the right to boast. For the word "so that" (ίνα) expresses not the cause, but the consequence of the matter.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:10
So that you, having heard that you are not justified by works, would not become careless regarding works, he says that now after faith, works are needed. For you were created in Christ Jesus and became a new creature after the old man died in you in baptism. And just as in the beginning you were called from non-being into being, so now you are called to well-being: you were created not to be idle, but so as to do and walk in good works, that is, to accomplish the entire path of life in them, not for two or three years, but the entire path of your life. For he indicates this by the word "to fulfill." For "God foreordained" this, therefore one must not turn away from this work appointed by God. "For good works," not for one work, but for all: for if there is a deficiency in one, virtue is violated. But Gregory the Theologian understood the expression "created for good works" not in the sense of creation in baptism, but referred it to the first creation.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:11
Having said that He saved them who were dead, he now intends to show to whom He made them equal and co-heirs, namely to the Israelites — for great indeed was their dignity — and he says: "therefore remember." "Therefore" (for this reason). Why then? Because you were created "for good works," for this alone is sufficient to urge us to care for virtue. And he said "remember" because those who rise from utter nothingness to a height usually forget their former state. What then should they "remember"? That in former times you were far from Christ, but now have become near to Him, just as Israel was. Such indeed is the purpose of these words. But notice how skillfully he overthrows circumcision, showing that it differs from uncircumcision only in word, not in deed. "You," he says, "Gentiles in the flesh," not in the spirit, and "who were called" so, not being so in reality, just as if he were saying that in the flesh you are lesser, but not in the spirit. And again with the words "circumcision made in the flesh" he points to a distinction consisting only in words and flesh. Thus uncircumcision was not something grievous and abominable, even though those who boasted in circumcision said so; but to be outside of Christ — that is truly terrible and unbearable. Why then, intending to show that they are partakers of the glory of the Israelites, does he diminish the dignity of the latter? But look at what he diminishes: not what is essential. For circumcision is not essential, but indifferent. In what is essential, however, he even greatly exalts them, calling the Israelites holy and intimate with God.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:12
Having not said "separated" (κεχωρισμένοι), but "alienated," because the Israelites too were outside the lawful and godly life, but not as strangers, rather as negligent ones. Here is what the great division consisted in. For he did not say: not holding to — προσέχοντες — the covenant, but completely alien — ξένοι — to it. And the Israelites, though they were deprived of the promises, were not as strangers to them. What covenants and promises? "To your descendants I give this land" (Gen. 15:18), and much else He promised, understood in an entirely spiritual sense. "Hope" without doubt concerning the future: the resurrection and the recompense. Although they worshiped gods, these were not gods. He added "in the world" to show that they were inferior to Israel not only in heavenly things, but also in what is glorious on earth. For the Israelites were both glorious and renowned in regard to their worship of God.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:13
We were far from God, not in place, but in the disposition of heart and life, yet now we have become near, not by life (for we contributed nothing from works), but in Christ Jesus and by His Blood. For having shed His Blood and given Himself for us, He freed us from the captivity that kept us far from Him, and brought us near to Himself. But you can also understand it this way: we were far from the Israelites, and now we have become near to them.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:14
For before the incarnation of the Word there was great enmity between circumcision and uncircumcision; but now we have been reconciled, having become one faith. For now we are called no longer circumcision and uncircumcision, but we have one sign — faith. Imagine: two men, one a slave, the other adopted; both gave offense to the same person: one by committing an act worthy of losing his sonship, the other by running away; then both of them were made heirs and intimates. And so they were deemed worthy of equal honor, and two became one. In exactly the same way, Gentiles and Israelites turned out to be transgressors: the former as slaves, and the Israelites as sons. So then, what? Is it really such a great thing to have fellowship with the Israelites? You have raised us to the heavens, and now you point to this as something great? Yes, he says: that must be received by faith, but this by deeds themselves. However, he does not say that he brought us to the dignity of the Israelites, but that he raised both us and them to a better state. Yet the benefit to us is greater, because to them it was promised, but to us it was not promised, and we were far off, as the example cited above indicates. He explains what the barrier consisted of, and says: in the enmity toward God of both Gentiles and Jews — enmity that arose from our transgressions, as the prophet also says: "your iniquities have made a separation between you and God" (Isa. 59:2). So this barrier, the enmity, He destroyed by His Flesh. In what way? By putting an end to the enmity in the flesh. For since He united flesh with the Godhead, it is clear that He accomplished reconciliation, for the two natures were united and joined together. And on the other hand, He destroyed the enmity also by appearing sinless and fulfilling the entire law. For the law was a fence, that is, it was given for safety, to provide protection; but when transgressed, it creates a barrier — sin, through which we do not remain in safety but are separated from God.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:15
Lest anyone should say: what then, if having been freed from the former transgression of the law, we are again compelled to observe it? – he says that He abolished it as well. For having given us the law for our strengthening, instead of punishing us when we did not keep it, He abolished the law entirely, just as if someone, having entrusted a child to a tutor, when he did not obey, took him away from the tutor. He calls it the "law" of "commandments" because it was the organizer of the order of life; and he calls faith a "doctrine" because it is established through teaching or dogmas. Therefore the apostle said, as it were: instead of a way of life, He introduced faith. For we received justification not as a result of commandments prescribing to do this or that, but "if you believe with your heart and confess with your mouth, you shall be saved" (cf. Rom. 10:9). Or else he calls "doctrine" the prohibitive commandments of the Lord, namely: "but I say to you: do not swear at all" (Matt. 5:34), or "do not be angry" (Isa. 54:9), and the like. He did not make the Greek into a Jew, but elevated both to a better state. And he did not say "change," but "create," in order to express his thought more forcefully, and that thereafter we must not depart from natural works. "In Himself" (ἐν ἑαυτῷ) is said either instead of "through Himself" (δι᾽ ἑαυτοῦ), because it was not someone else who did this, but He Himself, as if melting down the Jew and the Gentile, created one new and wondrous man. Or it means that He Himself was the first to present the model and example, He Himself appeared beforehand as that which He made those (Greeks and Jews) into; and that He stood in the middle between both, holding on one side the Greek and on the other the Jew, mixing them together and removing everything hostile, supernaturally recreating them through fire and water. Thus, in the human nature which He assumed—a nature common to both Gentile and Jew, and assumed for the sake of both—in this nature, freed from all corruption and oldness, He created the two into one new man, free from the decrepitude and unrighteousness of sin. Neither the one nor the other is characterized any longer by his own qualities, but both are characterized by the property of the one man created in the image of Christ. But you will understand these words even better if you mentally picture the Lord as the cornerstone, and these two as walls built upon Him; And in relation to one another (for the Jew then draws near to the Gentile when he becomes a believer), but especially to God, which is also more important, as he shows below.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:16
He did not say "reconcile" (καταλλάξη), but "fully reconcile" (άποκαταλλάξη), that is, reconcile again, showing that in ancient times too, through the law, human nature was being reconciled with God, but then, since through the transgression of the law the enmity was even more intensified, it again had need of reconciliation with God, which, as final, is rightly called reconciliation (άποκαταλλαγ). "In one body" — that is, in His own. For the punishment due to us He Himself took upon Himself through the cross, which He also said above: "In the flesh." And again, He might create the two in Himself. But according to some, "in one body" means that He reconciled with God both who had become, as it were, one body, of which He is the head. He did not say "having destroyed," but more strongly — "having killed," so that it would no longer rise up. In what way then does enmity arise again after this? It never rises up, but gives birth to another, because you sin again. "In Himself" — either on the cross, or in His own body. For He killed the enmity both on the cross and in His own body, in which He also took up the cross.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:17
He did not send another, but came Himself, appearing in the condition of a servant and slave, and "preached peace" — to God, without a doubt: to those "far off" — the Gentiles, and to those "near" — the Jews, since these seemed closer to God. And Christ indeed said: "Peace I leave with you" (John 14:27); be of good courage: "I have overcome the world" (John 16:33), and also: "My Father will love you" (John 14:23), and: "all things that you shall ask shall be given to you" (Mark 11:24). And all these are signs of peace.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:18
By His death He destroyed the enmity and then made us beloved to the Father through the Spirit, having graced us with the same grace. For He did not grant them more, as to those who were near, and us less, as to those who were far off; but in one Spirit He granted to both the same grace and thus brought them to the Father. Or "in" is used instead of "through," and then the meaning would be this: through Him and the Spirit we have been brought to the Father.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:19
Since the Son abides forever, those who do not attain the heavenly city are strangers and sojourners. But we are not such now, but rather fellow citizens with the saints; not simply of the Jews, but of their saints — the patriarchs and prophets — and we are enrolled in that very same city, the city that is in heaven, the eternal one, which they too earnestly sought. What those men barely achieved through great labors, we have received through grace, having become God's own (members of His household). This is the hope of our calling: for it is in that very hope that we are called, so that we might receive this.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:20
Wishing to show the close union of the Gentiles with the prophets and apostles, he says: "having been built upon," as if saying: the prophets and apostles serve as the foundation, while you completed the rest of the building, so that all together formed one temple of God. This is what it means to be built upon the patriarchs and prophets, which in another place he calls grafting in (Rom. 11:19). He placed the apostles first, although in time they were the last. Christ holds all things upon Himself. For the cornerstone supports both the walls and the foundations. And note: sometimes he calls Him the one who holds all things together from above, in which case he names Him the head, and sometimes the one who bears the entire building upon Himself from below, like a cornerstone; and sometimes he also calls Him the foundation itself.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:21
On the cornerstone, he says, that is Christ, the entire building — namely all believers, joined organically and inseparably — grows and is filled up, so as to become temples of God. "And I will set My dwelling among you," He says, "and will walk among you" (Lev. 26:11–12). For the Church (ἐκκλησία) in general, that is the assembly of all believers, is a temple of God, and so too is each person individually. "In the Lord" is said instead of — by the grace of the Lord, and not by our labors. And by the word "being fitted together" he shows that we cannot be built into a temple of God in any other way than by leading such a life as corresponds to the cornerstone.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 2:22
And all believers are built up in Him, and you also, Ephesians, to be a dwelling place of God in the Spirit, that is, through the cooperation of the Spirit. Or else he said "in the Spirit" in contrast to a material building, as if saying: a spiritual dwelling place of God. Such building up is also accomplished until the second coming through believers.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 3:1
Having pointed out Christ's care for us, he then speaks also of his own care. Since, he says, my Lord has shown such deeds toward us, it is necessary for me as well to contribute as much as possible. Therefore I am a prisoner for you. And if He was crucified, then I, at the very least, am in bonds for you. And by the words "for you Gentiles" he indicated the following: "not only do we not abhor you, but we even accept bonds for your sake and consider it an honor to be called prisoners of Christ."
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 3:2
He alludes to the words of God to Ananias: "he is My chosen vessel, to proclaim My name before the nations" (Acts 9:15). And the revelation of the mystery, because he learned it not from man, he calls "the dispensation of grace." For, he says, the grace of God arranged things in such a way that I was called from above and was subjected to blindness for my disobedience, so that in precisely this manner I might come to obedience. But for you, he says, this grace was given to me. For He Himself said to me, "I will send you far away to the Gentiles" (Acts 22:21). Therefore you are the work of grace, and I brought nothing of my own.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 3:3
Here is the work of grace – the revelation of the mystery. And truly it is a mystery – to raise the Gentiles from the utmost insignificance to an honorable position, higher than that of the Jews. He points to what was said above by him, that the Gentiles, who were far off, have been called, that they have been built upon the patriarchs, and so forth.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 3:4
I wrote, he says, not as much as I ought, but according to your capacity and ability to receive. And from this you can perceive and understand my comprehension of the mystery of Christ, that is, how I understood the mystery of Christ, or how I understood that He sits at the right hand of the Father and seated us with Himself, that in Himself He created both into one new man, and the rest pertaining to the mystery. Understand then the worthiness of my comprehension from the fact that God revealed so much to me. And that this is a sign of great honor, listen: "He has not done so with any other nation" (Ps. 147:9), namely, that to Israel He declared "His statutes and His judgments" (Ps. 147:8).
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 3:5
What then? Did the prophets truly not know? But how then does Christ say: "Moses and the prophets wrote about Me"; and "search the Scriptures..." and "they testify of Me" (Jn. 5:39)? But Paul, first of all, says what was not revealed to all people, since he added: "which was not made known to previous generations of the sons of men." And secondly, what was not revealed even to the prophets in such a way as it has now been manifested in deed itself to the apostles and the New Testament prophets, by the Holy Spirit. For if the Spirit had not instructed Peter, the latter would not have received into the Church the gentile Cornelius with his household (Acts 10:3). And notice, it is not concerning circumcision, but concerning the gentiles that the Spirit gives revelation, because the reception into the Church of the despised gentiles was a great matter. And to such a degree did the ancients not know this mystery, that even the great Peter needed instruction from the Spirit concerning this.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 3:6
The mystery consists in the fact that the Gentiles became fellow heirs and fellow partakers of the promise of Israel. For the Israelites partook in the promise as a holy people; and the Gentiles, formerly unclean, became partakers with them of the same promise, but in what way? "In Christ," that is, through faith in Christ, which reached them through the Gospel. And he was not satisfied with calling them "fellow heirs" and "fellow partakers," but, to show the greater closeness and union, called them "members of the same body." For the Gentiles together with the holy Israelites formed one body, governed by a single head — Christ.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 3:7
I became a minister of this gospel and find myself in bonds for its sake; but this is not my own doing, but a gift of divine grace, which was given to me not simply or sparingly, but abundantly and generously, as befits the almighty God to give. Or else — since He granted me this ministry, He also furnished me with power. For a dignity is useless if power is not joined with it. Three things we must bring to ministry: a soul ready for dangers, wisdom and understanding, and a blameless life, while it is God's part to give the power through which all these would become effective.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 3:8
Intending to speak about the greatness of Divine grace, see with what humility he speaks of himself. For after such glorious deeds he calls himself the very least, not among the apostles, but among all the saints, that is, the believers. And this, as an expression of humility, is higher than the words: "I am not worthy to be called an apostle" (1 Cor. 15:9). What grace, he says, was given to me? "To preach the Gospel to the Gentiles." For others were sent to the circumcised, but he to the Gentiles. Therefore he has need of grace, because to the least was entrusted the greatest. But having received the command to convert the worst to the Gospel, through this he becomes great, although he seemed small. So then, this work belongs to grace. If the riches of Christ remain unsearchable even after His manifestation, then how much more unsearchable is His essence? How then after this did Eunomius boast of comprehending it?
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 3:9
That the Gentiles would be called, this, perhaps, the prophets and angels also knew by the Spirit; but that they would be called to such blessings, that they would even sit upon the throne of God — who could have expected this? Therefore he also calls this a mystery, hidden in God from the ages, that is, from of old, from the beginning. For this dispensation is ineffable and known to Him alone. Beautifully he reminded about creation: God created all things, he says, through Christ. For "without Him," he says, "nothing was made" (John 1:3). And this He reveals through Him.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 3:10
Neither the principalities and powers on high, nor those below, knew the mystery of the glorification of the Gentiles. For both angels and archangels knew only that Israel was the Lord's portion and His people. And Gabriel likewise knew only that He (the Messiah) would save His people from their sins. But that the Gentiles too would attain such honor — this the powers both on high and below have now learned through the Church, that is, through the benefactions bestowed upon us. For the benefactions toward us were their teachers of the wisdom of God. And he calls this "wisdom" not simply diverse, but "manifold," pointing to its extraordinary excellence and incomprehensibility. And Gregory of Nyssa says that before the incarnation the heavenly powers knew Divine wisdom simply, namely: since He created all things by His will alone, they acknowledged Him as mighty, and since He preserved all things by His wise providence, they considered Him a wise provider. And in this there is nothing manifold, that is, that one thing existed and He made another. But after the incarnation of God the Word, from opposites arise opposites: from death — life, from weakness — power, from dishonor — glory, and from all that seemed lowly — what is fitting. In this way the manifold wisdom and power of God became known to the heavenly powers. For when we came to know, then they too — through us, seeing what blessings the Church has been deemed worthy of, and through her coming to knowledge.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 3:11
Although the wisdom of what has been accomplished with us has only now been made known, he says, it was predetermined from of old. "According to the eternal purpose," that is, according to the foreknowledge of the ages to come. For God knew the future and thus predetermined it. The expression "which He accomplished in Christ Jesus" refers to the wisdom or to the dispensation which the Father accomplished through the Son. But Chrysostom, reading instead of ἣν ἐποίησεν — "which He accomplished," ὧν ἐποίησεν — "which He created" (accomplished), says that the ages (i.e., the epochs, time) God created (or "accomplished" — ἐποίησεν) through the Son.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 3:12
That all things came about through Christ is evident, he says, from the fact that He is the One who brought us. However, we were not brought as captives, nor as sinners, but we have boldness, and not simply so, but with hope and confidence. From where do we have this? From faith, he says: it, having freed us from sins, instilled in us boldness and confidence.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 3:13
"Therefore," he says. Why then? Because great is the mystery of your calling and a great task has been entrusted to me, namely the preaching to you, and it is necessary for me to undergo bonds and endure evil from those who do not understand the mystery and resist it; therefore I beseech you, do not lose heart, that is, do not be frightened and do not be troubled, as though something strange were happening. For your glory consists all the more in this, that God so loved you that He not only gave His Son for you, but also subjected us, His servants, to dangers and bonds for your benefit. If my afflictions serve for your glory, then you will be glorified much more through your own afflictions. Therefore, even if you yourselves were to undergo afflictions, do not lose heart.
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 3:14
Since you have been deemed worthy of such love, and incomprehensible are the blessings which you have received and which you will yet receive in the future, I pray, he says, that the grace of Christ who dwells in you may be granted to you — the grace to comprehend this and to know how greatly you are beloved. And that this prayer is intense, he indicates by the words: "I bow my knees."
Commentary on Ephesians
Ephesians 3:15
From the supreme Father, he says, "every family": "on earth" — he calls tribes families, having received this name from the names of their fathers; "in heaven," however — since there no one is born from anyone — by families he designates the individual hosts, that is, both the heavenly and the earthly orders He created, and from Him came those who are called fathers.
Commentary on Ephesians

Quoted verbatim from public-domain English translations of the fathers — Aquinas's Catena Aurea, the Ante-Nicene and Nicene & Post-Nicene Fathers, and related editions. Each quotation links to its source.